Wire stretcher



July 22 19% 1,5289

G. A. LOVATT WIRE STRETCHER Filed Aug. 17, 1922 2l Snee1s-sneen 1" .my22 w24, M023@ G. LOVATT WIRE STRETCHER Filed Aug. 1'7, 1922 2SheeLs-Sheet 2 Patented July 22, 1924.

UNTED STATES GEORGE A. LOVATT, OIF BOULDER, WYOMING.

WIRE STRETCHER.

Application led August 17, 1922. Serial No. 582,448.

T o all whom t may concern.'

Be it. known that I., GEORGE A, LOVATT, citizen of the United States,residing at Boulder, in the county of Fremont and State of kVfyoming,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Stretchers, ofwhich the followingk is a specification. Y

My invention relates to improvements in wire stretehers.

An object of my invention is to provide a wire stretcher, adapted to beconnected to a fence post or the like, and to stretch a wire so as todraw the wire past the post to which itis attached, in order that thewire may be stapled to the post ina convenient and eflicient manner.

A further object of` my invention .is to provide a wire stretcher, whichmaybe used to splice broken wires and to repair barb or other wirefences; also in the'provision of simple means forA connecting Ytogetherthe ends of wires where it is essential Vthat said ends be drawntogether by positive means, and held during the operation of twisting orotherwise fastening the separated ends.

A still further'object of my invention is to provide a wire stretcher,that is strong, durable, simple and inexpensive in construe# tion, andthat is well adapted to the use for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentduring the Qourse of the following description.

1n the drawings, forming a part of the speeilication andV in which likenumerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same-VFigure 1 isa top plan view illustrating my device in use.

Figure 2 is a sideelevation of the same,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section of the same,

Figure 4 is an end elevation of apparatus embodying my invention, and Yp Figure 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1 looking in kthedirection of the arrow.

In the drawing where for the purpose of illustration is shown apreferred embodiment of my invention the numeral 10 designates the bodyof my invention, formed from two pieces of material and held in spacedrelation to each other, by means of pins 11.- A pair of guide plates 12are secured to the side plates 10, and are adapted 13. The rack videdwith, locking Ineens 16 te reetret the movement of said rack bar. Theopposite end et, theraek. bar 13 ie provided with e wire engagingelement 17. The .Wire en gaging element 17 comprises washer 18 having aserrated falce threaded shaft 22, having a movable jaw 19 mountedthereon said jaw 1 9'havingVv a serratedface, a Washer mounted next tothe movablejaw 19,and a thumb nut 21 which is adapted to rotate therebymoving the movable jaw 19 and clamping a wire between jaws 18 and Alever socket 2,3 is pivoted to thevbody 10 by means of a bolt 24.Pivoted to the lever socket 23 is a pawl 25, said paWl being pivoted tothe said socket lever by means of a pin'26. YThe body portion 1Q isprovided with upstanding ears 27 to which is pivoted a second pawl 28 bymeansof a pin 29. The pawl 28 is so situ-ated as toy over.V lie the Paul25 Seid Pewl 28 terminating in` a lever 30 so that when the lever .3Q'is depressed it willcome in contact with the pvavvlr 25 thereby'disengaging the pawl 2 8 andpawl 25 from'the' rack bar 13. Thepawl 25is normally held infcontactwith the rack bar 13 by Imeans of a spring31, which is carried on the under side of the pawl 28, A pin 32 mountedbetween the npetendina ears 27 is adapted to carry a spring whichj`nellnnlly heldethe `and 28 in engagement with the teethy 15 cfg the rackbar Y'13.

The body'lO, is ,provided withafsecondy wire engaging element 34 which4'is constructed fsiinilanto the wirev engaging' el e ment 17. f

Carried.- by Ineeneef erin ,35 ie e elevsr 36 which isconnected to 'thechain 37. A

similar clevis 39 is mounted in spaced rel lation te the @levis 36 enthebedy 1.0 by Ineens ef a. pin-3,8. The. ellain 4Q' earriee einet/member 4.1. .Whieh ie nrevdediwlth a hook 42 lwhich is adapted toengage one of4 the links of the chain 37. It will thus be seen that thischain is adapted to engage or encircle a fence or the like, and may bemade tight by rotating the jack handle 43 which will cause theinternally threaded sleeve 44 to ride on the threaded shaft 54'. Thebody 10 is'provided with any suitable form of prong 46 which willpenetrate a ak stationary the chains 37 isl wooden post or the likewhich will further tend to hold the wire stretcher rigidly on the postto which it is mounted. An operating lever 46 is adapted to be receivedywithin the lever socket 23 and is provided at one end with a suitablewire kworking implement such as a staple puller, wire stretcher or nailpuller 47.

-In use my improved wire stretcher is placed against the post where itis desired to put. the wire,- around the post and one of the lengths ofcaught in the hook 42.

Screw 44 down close to the washer `43 in order thatl there will besuicient room to operate the jack v43. The jack 43 is operated Vso thatthe stretcher will be held in a rigid position during the wirestretching operal tion.' Press the thumb against the lever 30,

which will engage the pawl 25 thereby disengaging the pawl 28 andv 25from the teeth 15 of the rack 13. Pull the rack bar 13 in the directionof the arrow as far back as pos-V sible. Clamp the wire between theclamping jaws 18 and 19 ofthe wire clamping member 17. Insert the lever46 in the lever socket 23 and oscillate the same. It will thus be seenYthat when the lever 46 is moved in the direction of the arrow, the pawl25 will engage, one of the teeth 15 of the rack bar 13,*v therebycausing the rack bar to be moved in the direction that the lever 46 isrocked. It will be seen that the pawl 28 will slide over the teeth 15and fall into the notches,

- thereby holding the body 10 on the wire in position until the leverhas been moved to the right again and the operation of moving the lever36 in the direction of the arrow insuring the engagement of the pawl 25with the teethl of the rack bar 13, by reason of the pawl 28, thereV isno possibility of the wire slipping when a new grip is being gotten bythe pawl 25. When the rack bar 13 has been moved to about approximatelythe position as isshown in Fig. 1 and it is desired to obtain anew gripon the wire, the free end of' the wire is clamped in the second clampingmember 34. The clamping member 17 is then unloosened and the rack bar ismoved in far as possible, is again clamped and the clamping member 17 onthe wire, and the clamping member 34 is disengaged from the wire. Itwill thus be seen that I have devised a device whereby a strand of wireor fence may betightened with no possibility of the wire and the chain37 is circled the direction of the arrow asV slipping either during theoperation of my device or in the process of securing a new grip on thewire.

To make a splice, where a strand of wire has become broken, pull therack bar 13 out as far as possible and put one end of the wire in theclamp 34, and the other end of the wire in the clamp 17. It will thus beseen that by oscillating the handle 46 the broken ends of the wire willbe pulled together and overlapped a sufficient distance to allow thetwisting thereof, and thereby reunite the saine. To tighten a wire wherethe wireis not broken but is merely slack, put the stretcher on asdescribed above, and pull the wire taut, cut the wire and tie the looseends in same manner as above.- It is to be noticed that the clampingmember pulls the wire at a point beyond where wire is to be fastened tothe post, so that there is no slack whatever after the wire has beenfastened to the post.

vIt it to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown anddescribed, is to be taken as a preferred embodiment of the same, andthat various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or thescope of the sub- Joinedv claim.

I-Iaving thus fully described my invention what I claim is A toolcomprising a body including a pair of spaced parallel sections, a pairof spaced parallel guide plates disposed in the body, an operating leverincluding an inner yoke shaped end fitted between the sections of thebody and the guide plates, means pivotally securingthe lever to theplates and the sections of the body, transversely extending guide pinsarranged across thebody connecting the sections thereof together, a rackbar slid'ably mounted in the body between the guide plates having alongitudinally eXtending slot therein for receiving the guide pins,means carried/by the lever for moving the rack bar in astep-by-stepmovement in the body, and wire clampingmeans carriedrespectively by the body and rack bar.

In testimony whereof IV aiiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

,GEORGE'A LOVAT'I. Witnesses: i

JAMES M; SrARK's, ALBERT E. LovAfr'r`

